Hampton University Business School Bans Locks, Cornrows

The topic of hair in the black community, as many know, is a sensitive subject. Dreadlocks and braids are seen as expressions of pride to some while for others, the hairstyles can be polarizing and seen as limiting in today's society.

Hampton University's hair ban policy was enacted in 2001 but today is the topic of much discussion.

As shocking as this may seem coming from a historically black university, the business school's dean, Sid Credle, sees the ban in a positive light. He says that enforcing the ban gets students one step closer to securing jobs in corporate America.

"All we're trying to do is make sure our students get into the job," Credle told ABC. "What they do after that, that's you know, their business."

The ban on dreadlocks and cornrows at the historically black college only applies to male students enrolled in the school's five-year M.B.A. program.

He adds that these hairstyles were not part of African-American history. "I mean Charles Drew didn't wear it, Muhammad Ali didn't wear it, Martin Luther King didn't wear it," said Credle.

Hampton isn’t cheap. I’m not sure of the cost of a 5 year MBA, and I’m not even going to look it up because I KNOW. I graduated a little over a decade ago and just a bachelors wasn’t cheap at that time.

My most influential mentor taught me that “where you stand on an issue depends on where you sit”.

I think the legs of my chair were a little different from most of those currently responding to Braidgate. Which is defined as the current response to a decade old, Successful policy.

My path to HU was different than most, but the same as “more than you would think”. I had a 15 year old single mother in one of our stereotypical inner cities. My mother defied a lot of odds because she decided early, my life experiences would not be typical to our family. I was the first member of my family to graduate from college. There are still only three of us in my entire family today. There are life lessons I learned at Hampton that my family just wasn’t equipped to provide.

So I knew about racism. I knew enough by the time I was ten years old to last a lifetime. I also know about legitimate causes. When I go home and sit out on the steps with my cousin and his boys from noon until sundown, I hear about incidents that should have Jesse and Al firing up the private jets. Injustices by police, public officials and everyone else that profits from the chaos “around our way”. Now these boys aren’t angels, but they do have an intelligence and insight gained by “the life” that can’t be bought. That’s one of a myriad of places I go for my new, out the box ideas.

That’s not why I went to Hampton.

I went for the education for life that they advertised. Real life. Not as we want it to be. Or think it should be. Hampton has a social bubble that is admittedly a little out of touch with the rest of the world during your time there. But this slightly artificial society is almost perfectly in contrast to the complete business like atmosphere when it comes to education itself. And depending on a particular individual, the combination can make for a very dynamic person. But it’s definitely not for everyone. Equal consideration for those that it is…

There are a lot of complaints about the curfew policy. The original symbol for Hampton’s oppressiveness. Of course, there are the obvious benefits of having physical accountability of seventeen and eighteen year olds, many of whom are on their own for the first time. Parents like it I guarantee. Control; partially. Experience; completely. They’ve been there. I have kids. I’ve been there. Alternately, it teaches young adults time management as well as helps those that aren’t as good at doing it on their own. There is no motivation like the opposite gender to help a young person get things where they need to be when they need to be there. And the attempts to circumvent curfew, some successful, some not so, are the foundation of hours long “remember when” sessions.

Braids (over 95% placement success rate of MBA graduates… I’m an engineer and numbers don’t lie), sagging (it comes from prison and people have a problem with this policy who are seeking higher education…), all the same argument. Young people come to college to expressive themselves and Hampton doesn’t let them. There is definitely a limit. And it’s no secret. Accept it. Or go somewhere cheaper and not so oppressive. I didn’t want to sit in class with a dude with a dress, heels or his underwear showing. And I don’t want my kids to either. That’s why I went to Hampton.

Hampton doesn’t pretend real world causes don’t exist. They’re just not going to tie the Hampton name to anything controversial. Anyone who attends orientation is made REPEATEDLY aware of that the first week of University 101. That’s the gift and curse of a top tier HBCU. Right or wrong, It Is. There are plenty of schools that are much more liberal and affordable. Why stay somewhere oppressive? If it’s because you your parents are paying, declare independent, get some loans and live It.

One of the people on the dais the day I graduated was the grandfather of one of my closest friends that I met at school. Their family was being honored because at that time they had four generations of Hamptonian graduates. And I was “first generation college graduate”. He has a very good career and I run a project management firm. We are both the veterans of numerous military deployments. The first for both of us, along with many of our peers, a couple months after graduation. And he and I are great friends to this day. And one thing on which we agree, the foundation for life we received at Hampton helped make us who we are today.

Hampton would be better off teaching
its business students about how to tap
into our $10 billion dollar a year hair
care market that Black people make
very little money on, rather than focusing
in on what they consider to be non
conforming hair styles.
Click here to see http://bit.ly/493be3

All the European countries are billions and trillions of dollars in debt the European ways and culture is coming to an end right in front of our eyes most of the countries on the planet don’t like America and the way it has been carrying out its foreign policy. So don’t get rid of your dreads, and don’t throw away your afros so fast and certainly don’t trade in all of your blackness we are going to need it real soon as the new leaders of the planet earth. Behind all the mountains of lies the truth stands strong.

The greatest thing about living in America is that there are choices. If you chose to go there, you must follow the rules. There are MANY other great universities that don’t have that stipulation. I guess I’ve just been through enough to have a different viewpoint but I understand those who feel differently. I’ve seen and am still watching too many of us go without and then COMPLAIN about the situation rather than get their foot in the door and DO something about it. The cheap seats are easy to fill but you can’t affect change unless you are on the field, playing IN the game!

The greatest thing about living in America is that there are choices. If you chose to go there, you must follow the rules. There are MANY other great universities that don’t have that stipulation. I guess I’ve just been through enough to have a different viewpoint but I understand those who feel differently. I’ve seen and am still watching too many of us go without and then COMPLAIN about the situation rather than get their foot in the door and DO something about it. The cheap seats are easy to fill but you can’t affect change unless you are on the field, playing IN the game!

YES, MY CHARLIE. ANYTHING FOR A POSITION ON YOUR FARM TO MAKE YOU RICHER MR CHARLIE! IS WE’S OK TODAY MASSA? IS WE’S SICK? SLEEP WITH MY WIFE, IT MAKE ME FEEL BETTER ALL THE TIME MASSA. I’LL STAND OUTSIDE WHILE YOU DO IT GOOD MASSA!!

The dean has been bought & paid for by Mr Charlie & Hampton must have NEVER HEARD of the term “Entrepreneur” before. This is totally ridiculous.

Bob Marley’s family is doing pretty good & none of his son’s have MBA’s.

& if you a dude, & you cut your hair to get in this program, YOU’RE A GIRL!!! (to keep it nicely.)

I am sooooo glad that I did not attend an HBCU. These guys minds are so far up white behinds, it’s like watching the prison scene in the movie, Hancock! WE’S FREE!!!!! START THINKING OUTSIDE OF THE PLANTATION!!!!!

Blacks always have to conform against their natural characteristics, to Euro-standards, especially concerning hair. Example, the very talented, award-winning actress Viola Davis said she was nervous about wearing her natural hair for a formal event. WHAT?!?!?! That is the root of many of our issues—we have never felt that our natural state of being is good enough. I grew up in the Deep South, and I lived in the VA/MD/DC area for a few years. Virginia is a former slave state. Many traditional black colleges/universities were financed by whites and established for their mulatto and quadroon descendants. The majority of that select group of “massa’s” offspring looked down on the rest of the race. Those institutions were initially headed by elite (fair-skinned/Euro-featured) blacks who only perpetuated the plantation mentality; they were not going to bite the hand that fed them. Even though darker-skinned blacks have long since been allowed to hold these prestigious positions, the initial mindset of “house vs. field” is still in effect. This outdated way of thinking should be done away with. We will never rise above inferior status until we embrace ourselves and stop waiting on other races to accept us. “Nappy” hair is apparently an indication of power, ‘cause white folks have be afraid of it since day one.

The reality for me is this: anything I can change that could hinder me from getting a job in THIS economy has to go! The dean said he is trying to ensure the applicant GETS the job! It is easier to change the system from the inside than from standing on the sidewalk. Wisdom is the principle thing. We need to work! Hair can be regrown and a paycheck will ensure it can be kept well groomed! Just my opinion.